Spain Trip Itineraries

Travel Green to Barcelona

Destination(s): Barcelona

This Mediterranean city is full of dazzling architecture, delicious tapas, and beautiful beaches. It also has a long history of preserving its green spaces, and the city is full of parks with interesting histories and unusual designs.
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Palau Nacional

Las Ramblas

Whether or not you've been to Barcelona, everyone's heard of Las Ramblas. One of the most renowned walkways in Europe and perhaps the world, this incredible stretch starts at el Colon (Christopher Columbus Statue) by the sea and extends all the way until Plaza Catalunya. Sprinkled with street vendors selling everything from fine jewelry to caged pigeons, the greatest attraction on Las Ramblas is the one of a kind street performers. Depicting the most innovative costumes it's possible to stare at a man sitting perfectly still on a toilet for as long as it takes until someone drops a Euro in his bucket and he makes a funny face. Overcrowded and a hot spot for pickpockets and prostitutes, Las Ramblas is still a definite must see if you're coming to Barcelona.
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Muntanya de Montjuïc

Rambla de Sant Josep (Mercat de la Boqueria)

The flower vendors on the Rambla Sant Josep make for a colorful and scented background to the fantastic Mercat de la Boquería. The food market started as much smaller stalls, perhaps on the scale of the flower stalls. It was originally a traveling market dispersed on the outside of the city walls. However the Ramblas soon became a pedestrian throughway and the stalls merged into one official and permanent market on the Rambla Sant Josep in 1827. Several years later the convent of Sant Josep was demolished and the market moved into the space where shoppers continue to buy delicacies today. The variety and quality of fruits, vegetables, sweets, and meats are unbeatable and perfect for a traveler's picnic. At the entrance fruit stands always offer fresh squeezed tropical juices, and throughout the market the best lunches are had at bars and restaurants which serve the freshest ingredients possible...from the stands to their kitchens.
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Platja de la Barceloneta

Jardi Botanic de Barcelona

Plaça Catalunya

passeig de Gràcia

(Ronda de Sant Pere)

Barcelona, 08002

If coming to Barcelona, you have to frequent Placa Catalunya. One of, if not the most popular plaza in Barcelona, this 5000 meter square is the cross roads between where the old city and the new city meet. Sitting at the top of the Gotico and Raval and leading into the Eixample and Gracia neighbourhoods, Placa Catalunya is not only a landmark but a gathering point for locals and tourists alike. Hosting outdoor, free concerts and celebrations, Placa Catalunya is right next to El Corte Ingles, FNAC and an abundance of other popular shops and cafes. There's always something happening in the plaza, even if it's just hippies sitting and playing guitar while children run around screaming, it's never dull.
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Moll de la Fusta

Casa Milà

The Casa Milá is a fine example of Modernism, which is Cataluña's version of Art Nouveau. Organic and flowing with images of nature at every turn, this is one of Gaudí's many masterpieces. The sea comes to mind with the curving balconies perhaps lined with wrought iron kelp. The octagonal tiles inside forming starfish and other sea shapes are also used along Passeig de Gracia's sidewalk, the street on which the Casa Milá sits. The building is held up by pillars and not by supporting walls creating a greater flexibility in design especially in the façade's windows. The rooftop could be the icing on the cake with its chimneys shaped like medieval warriors with helmets on. Everything practical is turned into art. While the Casa Milá was one of Gaudí's last secular buildings, there are still inscriptions of Ave María in Latin demonstrating the architect's strong religious self.
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Jean Leon Winery Tour

Portaferrissa

Catedral La Seu

The Cathedral la Seu is also known as the Cathedral of Santa Eulalia, a saint whose crypt is in the cathedral and is one of Barcelona's patron saints. This place of worship can be viewed from the square in front of it only because several years ago it was decided that an entire block of buildings should be torn down to better appreciate the grandeur of the construction. The interior is a treasure box full of elaborate chapels. The first one on the left displays a marble baptism basin which is said to be the very place where Christopher Columbus brought the first six "Indians" from the Americas to be blessed. An impressive choir, located in the center of the central nave, is a typical characteristic of the interiors of Spanish cathedrals. Walking through the cloister visitors can step over the burial grounds as the tombs of the rich and important line the floor.
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Iglesia Santa María del Mar

The church of Santa María del Mar provides an exceptional example of Catalan Gothic architecture. Imagine the sea once rose closer to this place of worship, and think of how important of a symbol it was for the wealthy maritime class who had their hands in its construction. From the outside the horizontal lines and heavy façade deceive those who enter the church to find columns stretching lightly towards the Gothic vaults. Appreciate the simplicity of the interior which is missing the elaborate altar and chapel pieces typical to Spanish churches. A fire set by anarchists in 1936 burned through those heavy decorations.
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Casa Lleó Morera

Parc Güell

One of Barcelona's greatest attractions and one of the few that are absolutely free, is Gaudi's incredible Park Guell. Get anywhere near the Vallcarca stop on the green line and you'll see tourists lumped together, maps in hand, asking locals for Park 'Guay'. Designed and built by Gaudi between 1900 and 1914, this spectacular mix of garden, park and architectural dream is a small oasis within Barcelona. From the mosaic benches, to the meticulously tiled rooftops, Park Guell is both fascinating as it is serene. One of the best places to spend a sunny day, the park is a great place to listen to music, enjoy a few copas of vino or just relax with a good book.
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